Because of the pliable and bending nature of many materials typically used in manufacturing articles of footwear, and, more particularly, athletic shoes, the automated processing of shoe parts in the manufacturing process poses difficulties. The inherent properties of materials used in constructing articles of footwear, and, more particularly, athletic shoes, results in the optimal tool paths for performing processes on shoe parts or partially assembled shoe parts varying from shoe to shoe. Because of the performance demands and consumer expectations for shoes, particularly athletic shoes, even a small deviation from an optimal tool path may result in an unacceptable shoe or a shoe that will fail under anticipated wear conditions. For example, the application of adhesives to join a shoe upper to a corresponding bottom unit (e.g., a joined midsole and outsole assembly) must be performed at the appropriate locations on the portions of the shoe upper that will contact the corresponding bottom unit. Inadequate coverage of the desired portions of the shoe upper may lead to the failure of the resulting shoe due to the separation of the bottom unit from the upper. While the potential for failure may be addressed by applying an increased amount of adhesives, the over-use of an adhesive is wasteful, expensive, potentially detrimental to the resulting bonding strength because of an incomplete curing process, and potentially damaging to the environment. Further, applying an increased amount of adhesive may lead to the presence of adhesive material outside of the desired adhesive area, which may result in the discoloration or soiling of the shoe, rendering the shoe unacceptable to consumers. For reasons such as these, many aspects of the manufacturing of shoes has remained an intensively manual process.